VELCRO TAPE FOR CONNECTING SEAT WITH HEAD REST COVER Technical Field The present invention relates to a Velcro tape for connecting a seat with a head rest cover. In particular, the Velcro tape is produced by compressing a linear loop onto a nonwoven cloth via heat or high frequency or creating fluffs from the nonwoven cloth with a device such as a needle bundle so as to reduce the manufacturing process of a loop portion engaged into a hook portion attached to the seat and save the manufacturing cost thereof.

Background Art As well known in the art, a Velcro tape comprising a hook and a loop portion is widely used in various articles such as apparel, bags, chairs and the like which are required to open and close. In particular, the Velcro tape is popular in those articles such as seat covers for an aircraft and express bus which need frequent replacement.

Since the conventional Velcro tape has a hook portion and a planar loop portion having a certain area, a manufacturing process of the hook and loop portion is prolonged and the hook portion is not readily engaged/disengaged into/from the loop portion. To overcome these problems, the applicant has invented a loop portion on which a hot melt substance is linearly coated. However, this technique also has a long manufacturing process and high manufacturing cost.

Disclosure of Invention The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems and it is

therefore an object of the present invention to provide a Velcro tape for connecting a seat with a head rest cover, in which a linear loop is readily attached to a nonwoven cloth via heat or high frequency and compression, wherein the head rest cover in use for an aircraft or express bus requiring frequent replacement can be recycled since both of the nonwoven cloth and the linear loop constituting the head rest cover are made of polypropylene.

It is another object of the invention to provide the Velcro tape for connecting a seat with a head rest cover by simplifying a manufacturing process of the Velcro tape so as to reduce the manufacturing time of the Velcro tape and save the manufacturing cost thereof.

According to an aspect of the invention to obtain the above objects, it is provided a Velcro tape for connecting a seat with a head rest cover, comprising: a hook portion attached to one side of a fixed body; and a loop portion having at least one linear loop and a nonwoven cloth made of polypropylene, wherein the linear loop and nonwoven cloth are integrally bonded while compressing and passing between a melting roller and a support roller butting into the melting roller as a pair, the melting roller having two rows circular sawteeth disposed in a rotation direction by a given interval and melting means for fixing between the nonwoven cloth and the linear loop, whereby the nonwoven cloth is readily attached/detached to/from the fixed body.

It is preferred that the sawteeth of the melting roller may be inserted through the nonwoven cloth to a rear side thereof pushing a thread across an outer periphery of the linear loop to the rear side so that the thread is attached to the rear side.

It is also preferred that the melting means may comprise a heater having a heating temperature of 170 to 180°C, i. e. a melting point of the nonwoven cloth and linear loop made of polypropylene, or a high frequency generator for high frequency fusion

of the nonwoven cloth and the linear loop.

According to another aspect of the invention to obtain the above objects, it is provided a Velcro tape for connecting a seat with a head rest cover, comprising: a hook portion attached to one side of a fixed body; and a loop portion made of fluffs formed in a longitudinal direction on one side of a nonwoven cloth caused by friction between the nonwoven cloth and a needle bundle, whereby the nonwoven cloth is readily attached/detached to/from the fixed body.

It is preferred that the fluffs are a portion of fiber constituting the nonwoven cloth, and alternatively may be produced by drawing fiber out of the nonwoven cloth under rotation of a first roller having the needle bundle erected thereon and a second roller having a rubber plate wound around the same.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a partially broken perspective view of a Velcro tape according to a preferred embodiment of the invention applied to a head rest cover; Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the engagement between a head rest cover and a head rest according to the invention ; Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a process of manufacturing a loop portion of the Velcro tape shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a melting roller coupled with a support roller in the loop manufacturing process in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a stage of inserting a thread of a linear loop into the

rear side of a nonwoven cloth in the loop manufacturing process in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a partially broken perspective view of a Velcro tape according to another embodiment of the invention applied to a head rest cover; Fig. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the engagement between hook and loop portions of the Velcro tape of the invention; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a process of manufacturing a loop portion of the Velcro tape shown in Fig. 6 Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention The following detailed description will present preferred embodiments of the invention in reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, a seat 7 in an aircraft or express bus has a head rest 1 in an upper end thereof for making a passenger comfortable. In order to keep clean condition, the seat 7 and the head rest 1 are covered with a seat cover 8 and a head rest cover 2 each made of a synthetic paper or nonwoven cloth. In particular, the seat cover 8 and the head rest cover 2 each are fixed by a Velcro tape so as to be easily attached/detached to/from the seat 7 and the head rest 1 if necessary.

As shown in Fig. 2, a hook portion 4 of a Velcro tape 3 made of reproducible polypropylene is fastened to the head rest 1 or fixed body in a rear portion 9 thereof via sewing or other means. At least one linear loop 5 paired to the hook portion 4 is attached in a position of the head rest cover 2 made of nonwoven cloth via compression with application of high frequency or heat of 170 to 180°C.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 5, it will be described a process of manufacturing the loop portion 5 by attaching linear loops to the head rest cover 2 made of nonwoven cloth.

First, nonwoven cloth 17 and a linear loop 15 wound around rollers (not shown) are

inserted into a nip between a melting roller 11 and a support roller 14, which engagedly rotate, connected to power supplies (not shown). That is, the linear loop 15 is disposed on the nonwoven cloth 15 engaged between the two rollers 11 and 14, in particular, on a portion thereof contacting with sawteeth 13a and 13b.

The melting roller 11 has the sawteeth 13a and 13b which are spaced from each other at a given interval in the outer periphery of the melting roller 11 along its rotation direction. The melting roller 11 also has melting means 12 inside thereof, in which the melting means 12 have the form of a heater for generating heat of approximately 170 to 180 C or a high frequency generator in order to instantaneously melt the linear loop. Further, the support roller 14 is engaged into the melting roller 11 to compress the nonwoven cloth 17 and the linear loop 15 while protecting the sawteeth 13a, 13b which perforate cut-off holes 18 through the nonwoven cloth 17.

In particular, since the melting means 12 instantaneously generates heat of about 170 to 180°C or radiates high frequency for high frequency fusion while the support roller 14 rotates compressing the linear loop 15 and the nonwoven cloth 17, the nonwoven cloth 17 and the linear loop 15 instantaneously melts or catches fire in melting. Further, as the sawteeth 13a, 13b form the through-hole 18 around the linear loop 15 attached to the nonwoven cloth 17, a number of threads 16 exposed in the outer periphery of the linear loop 15 are drawn out to the rear side of the nonwoven cloth 17 through cut-off holes 18 together with the sawteeth 13a, 13b.

Then the drawn threads 17 are attached to the rear side of the nonwoven cloth 17 under the cooperation of compression of the melting and support rollers 11 and 14 and heat applied from the heater of the melting means 12 or high frequency radiated from the high frequency generator.

Therefore, since the nonwoven cloth 17 and the linear loop 15 are bonded together

via instantaneously applied heat and compression of the melting and support rollers 11, 14 and the threads 16 exposed from the linear loop 15 are drawn to the rear side of the nonwoven cloth 17 to be attached under instantaneously applied heat and compression of the melting and support rollers 11 and 14, the adhering force can be maximized between the nonwoven cloth 17 and the linear loop 15, and the manufacturing process is simplified.

At least one linear loop 15 is attached to one side of the nonwoven cloth 17, then the nonwoven cloth 17 having the linear loop 15 is cut into a proper size for the head rest cover to complete the manufacturing process of the head rest cover.

This allows the hook portion 4 coupled to the head rest 1 to be easily engaged/disengaged into/from the loop portion 5 made of linear loop in the head rest cover 2. This also can simplify the manufacturing process of the head rest cover 2 having the loop portion 5 and save the manufacturing cost.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8, which uses the same reference numerals for the same or similar components as the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be described for the sake of brevity.

Referring to Figs. 6 to 8, a seat 7 in an aircraft or express bus has a head rest 1 in an upper end thereof for making a passenger comfortable. In order to keep clean condition, the seat 7 and the head rest 1 are covered with a seat cover 8 and a head rest cover 2 each made of a synthetic paper or nonwoven cloth. In particular, the seat cover 8 and the head rest cover 2 each are fixed by a Velcro tape so as to be easily attached/detached to/from the seat 7 and the head rest 1 if necessary.

A hook portion 4 of a Velcro tape 3 made of reproducible polypropylene is fastened to the head rest 1 in a rear portion 9 thereof via sewing or other means, as shown in FIG. 7. A loop portion 5 paired to the hook portion 4 is disposed in a certain

position of the head rest cover 2 made of nonwoven cloth and has the form of fluff by a portion of fiber constituting the nonwoven cloth.

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be described a manufacturing process of the loop portion 5a in the head rest cover 2 by forming fluffs as follows.

First, nonwoven cloth 25 wound around a roller (not shown) is inserted into a nip between two rollers 21 and 22 which engagedly rotate, connected to power supplies (not shown). In one roller 21 in the pair of rollers 21 and 22, a needle bundle 23 for generating fluffs are disposed in a given width, shaped like hooks 4b. Another roller 22 is wound with a rubber plate 24 for protecting the needle bundle 23. In particular, needles in the bundle 23 disposed around the roller 21 have the hooks 4b of the needles which are oriented to the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the roller 21. In this construction, as the fiber of the nonwoven cloth 25 drawn by the hooks 4b is automatically released from the hooks 4b owing to rotation of the roller 21, loops 5b are formed in one side of the nonwoven cloth 25 at a given width.

Since the nonwoven cloth 25 are made by compressing long fiber, even drawing a portion of the fiber with the needle bundle from the nonwoven cloth 25 would not break the fiber or create a hole in the nonwoven cloth 25.

In particular, the above hooks each are provided with strong and rigid rings so as to efficiently catch even a small loop.

The fluffs can be produced up to a desired number by increasing the needles of the needle bundle 23 or repeating the above operation.

After the fluffs 15b (loop) are produced in one side of the nonwoven cloth 25, the nonwoven cloth 17 is cut into a certain size proper for the head rest cover to complete the manufacturing process of the head rest cover.

This allows the hook portion 4a fastened to the head rest 1 to be easily

engaged/disengaged into/from the loop portion 5a made of the fluffs in the head rest cover 2. Also this can simplify the manufacturing process of the head rest cover 2 having the loop portion 5a and save the manufacturing cost thereof.

Industrial Applicability According to the Velcro tape for connecting the seat with the head rest cover of the invention as set forth above, the linear loop is readily attached to the nonwoven cloth.

The head rest cover in the aircraft or express bus requiring frequent replacement can be recycled since both of the nonwoven cloth and the linear loop constituting the head rest are made of polypropylene.

Further, the invention draws the fiber out of the nonwoven cloth with the needle bundle to form the loop portion of the Velcro tape to simplify the manufacturing process thereof thereby reducing the manufacturing time and cost, which is particularly advantageous for articles such as seat cover which require a small amount of adhering force.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.